Manipulating perceptions
The store of the Milanese watchsmiths, Gagà Milano, marks another encounter with the relation between space and time, and its representation. Situated in a prime spot on Corso Venezia, inside the entrance lobby – bordered with running display vitrines housing watches on in a deep trough illuminated by a strip of LEDs, and of course the brand’s name writ large – one reaches an outsize clock-face with a dial of coloured numbers and iconic winder at 12 o’clock set atop a plinth designed like a watch-strap. The departing restriction for the makeover was the cramped floor-plan of a mere 40 square metres (plus another 28 square metres of service space in the basement). The functional solutions were influenced by the extra ceiling height, prompting the inclusion of a mezzanine (of 11 square metres), whose space below became more compact, and customized container-display units built into the walls. The more distinctly visual solutions came about through the recessed lighting and two tall sections of raw metal panelling set at a slight angle. This device skews the walls almost imperceptibly, but gives the impression of greater space thanks also to the offset created by the white walls and ceilings and fixtures (all custom-built) offset the matte black chosen for the floor material.
photo credits: Luca Desantis